Chapter 30

Everyone in the inn surged toward the stables, where they found the situation had indeed taken a dire turn. The horses that had been sturdy and full of vigor only yesterday now lay listless and on the brink of death. Some lacked even the strength to push off with their hind legs, while others appeared to have stopped breathing entirely, their bodies shrunken like mere bags of skin and bones.

“My Stepping Snow!” “My Flying Swallow!”

“Chitu, what’s wrong with you? Wake up, Chitu!”

Including the players, every traveler in the inn felt their hearts ache as if cut by knives in that instant.

The reason was straightforward. For any wanderer traversing the rivers and lakes, a horse that shared their days and nights was like a trusted comrade-in-arms. Horses were also prohibitively expensive and rare—equivalent to a small car in the modern era, far beyond what ordinary folk could afford. Those who could buy one naturally treasured it beyond measure.

Heartbroken outbursts filled the air, and more than a few martial artists clamored for the inn to pay compensation.

With mishaps striking the inn one after another, the inn waiter looked on the verge of collapse. The innkeeper’s wife was equally panicked and hurried to soothe the crowd. “Please, esteemed guests, calm yourselves. We’ve taken the utmost care of your horses since you left them in our charge. We never imagined such an accident…”

The players’ grief ran even deeper. The game Jianghu boasted unparalleled realism. Unlike other games that gifted equipment and mounts right from the start, their horses had been purchased with silver painstakingly earned from grinding quests, enough to buy from the horse merchant in Jiangnan City. The merchant had even encouraged them to name their steeds themselves.

And so, no small number of players had dubbed theirs “Illuminating Night Jade Lion,” “Lightning White Foal,” “Chitu,” “Black Steed,” or “Claw Yellow Flying Lightning.” After days of bonding, their sudden loss hit like a gut punch.

“Did they eat something poisonous?” The players zeroed in on that possibility first, their accusing stares turning toward Five-Colored Mottled Black.

Five-Colored Mottled Black went pale with shock and shook his head frantically. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t do anything! I only picked up the side quest from the innkeeper’s wife this morning to tend the horses—and they were like this when I got here.”

He clutched a bundle of fodder in his hands: plain barley, soybeans, and sorghum. Nothing about it looked capable of wiping out the stable overnight.

It was Shen Jiangling, ever worldly-wise, who crouched low and ran his fingers along a fine steed’s neck. After a close inspection, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. He turned to Ruan Xuezong. “Young friend, these horses have bite marks on their necks. They’ve withered away because someone—or something—drained their blood.”

The words sent a shockwave through the crowd. Everyone scrambled to examine their own mounts and soon uncovered faint bite marks hidden amid the manes.

Suddenly, even Head Constable Zheng sensed the mounting strangeness.

“Infuriating! Who did this? This horse cost me half a year’s savings, starving myself to afford it—and now it’s been bled dry overnight.” “Head Constable Zheng, hold off on arrests. You’re the expert—figure this out!” The group vented their rage in curses, while the inn waiter begged piteously. “These bizarre horse deaths have nothing to do with our inn, sir. You’re the God of Case-Solving—please stand up for this humble one.”

Head Constable Zheng could only assent.

He returned to Room Tian No. 1, confirming the inn waiter’s account: the door securely locked, belongings untouched, but the occupant vanished without a trace.

Composing himself with a forced breath, Head Constable Zheng produced a portrait and held it before the inn waiter. “Look closely—is the missing young master the man depicted here?”

The onlookers peeked and nearly recoiled from the ostentatious wealth radiating from the image.

The young master wore a robe of resplendent gold silk, a belt encrusted with gold and jade, and boots adorned with red agate at the toes—an ensemble that screamed inherited nobility. Those obnoxious phoenix eyes and thin lips matched the petulant rich heir from yesterday, the one who had proclaimed his priceless sword stolen and demanded the inn torn apart.

“Yes, that’s him—that very young master!” The inn waiter bobbed his head vigorously, adding a crucial detail. “When he checked in, he was waving around a treasured sword like a show-off.”

“Flashy personality like that—definitely him.”

Head Constable Zheng remained stone-faced.

The players grumbled openly. “Who painted this? He wasn’t half that handsome when he was mouthing off at Zongzong—at least ten beauty filters’ worth.”

“I knew a level 20 NPC wouldn’t act that cocky without backing. Son of Jinling City’s top tycoon, huh?”

“Maybe he murdered someone and bolted.”

The whispers were loud enough for all to hear. Amid the buzz, Head Constable Zheng massaged his temple, his headache plain.

Wang Sheng was Jinling City’s richest man’s son—and its resident menace. He never failed to brag about his father being sworn brothers with Head Constable Zheng, cowing anyone in the city from challenging him. Owing to that tie, Wang Sheng was practically a nephew to the constable, no matter his antics. A disappearance like this demanded action.

A consummate sleuth, Head Constable Zheng noted the three incidents on his personal silk scroll.

At first glance, they seemed disconnected. To him, Ruan Xuezong’s murder case was already airtight. The horses and missing person bore investigating.

All three had unfolded last night.

Head Constable Zheng was about to press for details when he noticed the players outpacing him—thanks to a quest from Ruan Xuezong.

【Ding! Plot quest “Investigate the Truth” has been triggered.】

【Quest Description: Ruan Xuezong is entangled in a murder scandal. Six Gates’ Head Constable Zheng has convicted him as the killer and aims to drag him to jail. The truth lies shrouded in last night’s frigid darkness. What truly transpired yesterday evening? Is Ruan Xuezong the true culprit? Young heroes, join forces to probe and bring the facts to light!】

【Quest Rewards: 30,000 experience points, 3 taels of silver, +20 favorability with all inn staff, +10 exclusive favorability with Ruan Xuezong.】

【Quest Limit: Unlimited participants.】

“Called it—plot quest! Time to crack the case, brothers!” The players erupted in cheers. “Clearing Zongzong’s name? That’s on us!”

“Don’t drop your guard—anyone here could be the killer!”

“Send a squad to pump the innkeeper’s wife for intel first.” Sichuan Pepper Little Bunny, the raid leader, barked the order, and a horde of players scattered.

The Six Gates men stood robbed of purpose, exchanging glances before turning to their chief.

Head Constable Zheng’s brows knit into a scowl. “I never figured Heart Washing Manor’s lot for mediocre fighters with such fierce loyalty.”

Ruan Xuezong replied coolly. “You flatter us, Head Constable Zheng. They’re simply burning with worry, eager to prove my innocence.”

“Innocence? Evidence seals your guilt, yet you wriggle free. Wanderers flout the law with their fists—you rivers-and-lakes types breed chaos on your martial might alone!”

His words cut sharp, gaze raking the room. Every wanderer felt the barb, resentment bubbling but held in check.

Shen Jiangling flicked his fan idly, as if deaf to it all.

Head Constable Zheng’s eyes circled back to Ruan Xuezong. “I’m watching. Your retainers won’t shield you.”

“You men, get to it. Don’t get shown up by greenhorns full of fire but no brains.” He shot a sidelong glance at his subordinates, who saluted crisply. “Yes, sir!”

Meanwhile, the players converged on the main hall.

They cornered the innkeeper’s wife NPC and demanded the guest registry. They’d watched Zongzong check in with his waist badge.

As Zongzong had explained, a waist badge served as identification. In a hub like Jinling City, it was required for lodging. No badge? Street sleeping it was.

Every soul in the inn had thus registered. Reviewing the ledger was standard procedure.

The ask was hardly outrageous.

The innkeeper’s wife went quiet at first, then hemmed and hawed. “Guests, true, we need waist badges for rooms. But counterfeits fool even experts. We’re merely an inn—we can’t pry too deeply into our patrons’ affairs.”

The players read between the lines: In this martial world, shopkeeps survived by feigning ignorance. Her hint? Shady identities all around; the ledger offered slim leads.

“Now what?” The players muttered, as the streamers hoisted their cameras dutifully.

The innkeeper’s wife sighed. “Our humble shop, swept into this tempest—it’s rotten luck. Turmoil today, shuttered tomorrow. All I can say, young heroes, is Jinling City’s drawn some odd sorts lately. Secrets lurk among them, no doubt.”

Suspicion or not, commoners kept mum, lest they invite doom.

Inn closure meant his firing. The inn waiter buried his face in a rag and wailed.

Far from pitying them, the players roared with laughter.

“Easy, innkeeper’s wife—your place is safe! Official plot crime scene. Post-open beta, players will flock here for selfies.”

Mid-tear-wipe, she blinked. “???”

She couldn’t parse these chipper youths’ lingo.

“Registry’s a bust—split up and canvas.” The leader spoke, and players bolted every which way.

“Pardon, mind cooperating?” A bold player, notepad ready, approached a striking youth nursing wine in the hall. “Room Tian No. 4? Where were you around midnight? Doing what? Alibi? Hear anything suspicious?”

The youth, eighteen or nineteen, boasted sword-straight brows and starry eyes of unearthly beauty. Yet his “???” level lent an eerie chill, keeping solo players at bay—they mobbed in teams.

Heart Washing Manor questioners piqued his interest; he arched a brow. Wine cup untouched, eyes half-lidded in recollection. “Midnight last night, spirits high, I played xiao in my room for half an hour…”

Midnight minstrel. Public nuisance.

The player scribbled the tags. “Got it—and after?”

“Bedded down solo. Lone wolf here—no witnesses. Fellow guests might’ve caught the xiao, though.” Long lashes drooped. “Noises, you say…”

A sly grin bloomed; his gaze turned enchantingly wicked.

“Next door got lively, though. Lone man, lone woman, shut away together—a cup-of-tea’s span. Now I’m wondering: what did Young Master Ruan and that green-robed girl get up to in that time? Or whisper?”

Eyes zipped to Ruan Xuezong en masse: Head Constable Zheng’s deepened suspicion, Shen Jiangling’s bemused smile after a beat, the crowd all ears for scandal.

We wanna know too!

Players projected calm professionalism, minds shrieking.

Ruan Xuezong shot the youth a frosty glare, impressed by his talent for incitement.